Least we forget

This weekend it seems very apt to share this.

In the Town Church we have this wooden cross,

 it is one of the original wooden crosses from World War 1.  

Later they were replaced with the headstones we are all so familiar with.  

This cross belonged to Eric D'Auverge Collings, 

he gave his life for his country at the age of 19 on 23rd August 1916 during the Battle of the Somme.

I wear my poppy with thanks for that great sacrifice

A towering library in my life

The Guille Alles Library has always been a big part of my Guernsey life. 

My mother was one of the group of ladies who launched 'Bookwormobile' a mobile children's library which later (poss 1981?) was absorbed into the Guille-Alle. Then later after she passed away, a video library was opened in her memory, and I remember standing in the Hayward Room for the opening, wearing a very large silver lamee scarf!  Well I was young.....

But I didnt really understand its history to well,

 and when the chance came up to join a 'behind the scenes' tour, I jumped at the chance. 

 We were led round the building by this fantastic gentleman, 

think he was called Mr Pitt, one of the early library directors from the 1880s.  

But the main reason I want to do this was to get up into the tower! 

 It's designed as a widow's walk, 

we couldn't get out side but the views from the porthole window was fantastic.

A very different view out over the roof tops of St Peter Port

and the roof top of Specsavers, some one has a brilliant terrace, but they really need to tidy it up!

Herm and Jethou behind the church

The copper tobacco leaves on top of the old Market Building 

The market, then the church and then the castle

This brilliant room is now 'The story tower' for children's story time, 

I am very very jealous of those lucky children!

a post war story

A post war story

Last month a German lady was in the gallery and we were having a good long chat, she had been to the gallery before and was a regular visitor to Guernsey.  So after a while I felt comfortable in asking her about the pin she was wearing (see above).  I had seen them with a Guernsey flag crossed with the Union Jack or German flag but not this one.

Well it turned out it was the flag of Biberach which is the town in southern Germany where the internment camp for Channel Islanders was during World War 2.  The island and the town now have a strong link, with visiting, choir, group and VIPs etc.

She very kindly then gave me my own pin.

We carrier on chatting, with me talking about how my father had been in Guernsey as a boy during the Occupation, and she had just visited German Naval Signals Headquarters

 and as her father had worked in the GNSH in Brest, Britany 

he had probably regularly communicated with the soldiers stationed in St Peter Port. 

What I thought was so nice was we were both catching about our fathers experiences during the war, on opposite side, yet it was relaxed and friendly. As it should be.  

After all in did all happen a life time ago.

a wave of blue

We all seem to have been enjoying glorious weather the last few days, and for once this glorious weather coincided with afternoons off! 

So on Thursday afternoon, and decided to walk from town round the cliffs to check out how the bluebell wood was coming on and then on to Fermain and home.

It really was a stunning day and the wild flowers are all starting to come out, you could smell the warmth in the air.  I would say the bluebell wood was at two thirds of its blue capacity.

But still so very beautiful.  

I saw some of the invasive thugs Spanish bluebells on the cliffs, but so far they don't seem to have got into the wood, that is still very much the domain of the delicate and fragile British bluebell.

Oh dear done it again, co-ordinated myself with the bluebells.....

To all of you who are fans of The Durells, this scene always reminded me of the books and the early TV series, not really sure why, think its the evergreen oak hanging on for dear life!

Then round the corner to the beautiful Fermain, at very low tide, sea looking very tempting,

but when I did my April dip a week ago it was still only 9 degrees, so a while to wait before it becomes a pleasure again.

I sat in the sun on the cliffs reading my book 'The Ship Thieves'  (the true tale of James Porter, colonial pirate), when low and behold, look what sailed round St Martins Point! 

A real life Pirate Ship (sort off!).

Then finally the long slog up Fermain hill and a walk home, a good leg stretch, but those same legs are still aching today, which basically says I need to do more long walk ;-0

Creepy Creek!

 Yesterday I was down at the Bathing Pools, clocking off my April swim - still cold....

And I thought I would show you this map.  The original was found in a cupboard which had been in St Peter Port Constables office, and it is the original plan of the development of what we now know as the bathing pools.

 But look carefully at where the Horseshoe pool is, back then called New Gentleman's Bathing Place.

The gully next to it is called...

....Creux de la Morte Femme...

....Creek of the dead woman!

Resting our feet

A few weeks ago, Chris and I were having a good rummage around in a second hand shop,

and ended up with our arms full with books, a piece of Poole pottery, a wooden bowl, a wooden tennis racket, writing paper and this foot stool.....all for a tenner! Bargain.

The foot stool does need some tlc,

Chris is going to look after the base,

and we are going to put a deeper piece of foam on top to make it higher. 

But my job is the cover and I wanted another project to get my teeth into.

I decided on a plan of St Peter Port and the harbour and I will mark our house on it.  Gridding up a local map was the easiest way of transferring the image to the canvas (16hpi).

Then I cracked on with the sea.  All the swirling blue just sort of happened, it was a case of using up all my little bits and pieces of blue silk, and ended up being rather pleased with it,

almost gives an idea of all the eddies and currents moving round the harbour

with all that going on I decided that the roads should be plain as a contrast

As it looks like the land is going to be a haze of bits and pieces of green from my silks box!

I am enjoying stitching this, I find it very relaxing in the evening just to sit and sew, not really thinking, especially with the last few fires of the Spring crackling in the grate beside me.

Will keep you posted on how it gets on. xxx

a taste of the Great Gatsby!

The Tapestry is closed over the winter (except for Thursdays) 

so I have time to crack on with other projects like my quilt.

Last winter I took on the volunteer role of
costume curator at The Folk and Costume Museum

It has so interesting, I have been like a small child in a sweety shop,
we really have some amazing pieces in the collection going back to the 1750's. 

Think my favorite so far is a pair of nubuck coachman's breaches from Government House.
The nubuck feels more like shammy leather, he would have been wearing them while

 sitting on top of the Coach and we all know what a shammy feels like when wet!!!!  

 But dry, they feel amazing, the problem it is their feel that makes them so special, 

so I have know idea how we will ever put them on display?

But this year the Museum is celebrating its 50th Anniversary,
 so our theme is Celebration. 

Upstairs we have a large display of evening/party dresses and a small display of wedding dresses.

But its down stairs I am most excited about,
entering the room is like entering The Great Gatsby

We are doing the 1920's, the ultimate celebration decade,

 the Bright Young Things partied and celebrated life after the horrors of World War 1. 

So I just wanted to show you some snippets of the amazing pieces on display, 

to see everything, you need to come to the Museum!
They re-open for the season on March 20th.

The twenties have a powerful draw for us all,
I think its because it really is the first decade we can look at
and think 'yes I would wear that today'  ten years 
before that you definitely could not say that!

When you look at the fashions from 1910 and then look at the 

dresses in the exhibition it really is one the most monumental jumps we have in fashion history, 

from massive hats, s-bend corsets and hobble skirts

 to calf length sack dress, bobbed hair and bras!!!!! 

I do hope all this brocade, feathers, lace, gold and beading temps you.

and I hope you enjoy it as much as Christian, Arne and I have enjoyed putting it together.

Amazing what you can find in the attics of a small island!

Its a snow day!!!!

 Because of the amount of salt in our air we don't get snow very often, but when we do we get very excited, over react abit, and generally panic and behave like kids!!!!

 this was the gorgeous apricoty sky this morning, that says more snow is coming...

....and yes by lunch time its gone all fluffy!

Hope you are all enjoying the white stuff, stay safe and warm xxx

religious pirates

.  I was sitting quietly in the Town Church the other day and

 started reading the memorials on the walls.  

The majority were very similar, birth marriage, children, death 

and some times their military achievements.

Then this one caught my eye.

Look carefully.

Its a memorial to a Commander of the Private Ship of War, a Privateer, or to our enemies a Pirate!!!!

Isnt that brilliant!

 A Captain Jack in our Church!

isles of the very old dolphin

Very quick update!

Back in 2013 I did a post on chapelle dom hue

Well this year there was a archaeological dig on the islet,

to try and understand it a little more about its history  

But it produced more questions than answers, the main one being

Why is there a Dolphin grave there????

Answers on a postcard please!

a war time balcony

Sunday was a beautiful day, and I had it off!

The sea was flat calm and so we had to get out in the kayak.

As we came round Clarence Battery I noticed that the back entrance to the old German tunnel was looking very different.  It had been tarted up and definitely has what looked like a table chairs on a balcony, interesting...

Got in abit closer nd yes definitely a rather nice coffee spot. 

The Guernsey Aquarium is on the other side of the headland in the same net work of tunnels and it has recently had a revamp, wonder if it is anything to do with that?

So in very different weather on Wednesday I went to have a look, and yes you follow the U-boat signs over the shark tank

Sorry its blurry, taken quickly...

and you pop out on to this gorgeous little viewing platform

okay I know its not looking its best in that dreadful weather, but on a sunny day I think it would be great.  They haven't got space for a café out there, but in the shop there are vending machines.

Lovely to see the Aquarium really busy,

and love the way they have really tapped into the locations war time roots,

submarines in the fish tanks etc!

one more sunny photo from Sunday, do hope we get this weather back,

fingers crossed for an Indian summer